Adjustable supporting mechanism



June 8, 1937- F. UNSERER Y JUSTABLE SUPPORTING MECHANSM FOR STRAIGHTENING ROLLS OF PLATE STRAIGHTENING MACHINES Original Filed March 18, V3.929- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 8, 1937. F. UNSERER Re- 20,403

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHTENING ROLLS OF PLATE STRAIGHTENING MACHINES Original Filed March 18, 1929 y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Reissues! June 8, 1937 UNITED srATEs ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING MECHANISM FOB STBAIGHTENING ROLLS F PLATE STBAIGHTENING MACHINES iritl Ungerer, Pforzheim-Prom, Germany Original' No. 1,822,119, dated September 8, 1931,

No. 348,078, March 18, 1929.

Application for reissue October 17, 1936, Serial No.

4-Claims,

As is known, the'straightening rolls of plate straightening machines are supported on supporting rolls which are adjustably arranged so that they serve simultaneously for deflecting the 5 ystraightening rolls toward the work. 'Ihis enablesthe rolls to press particularly strongly.

along certain sections oi the plate.

Ii', however, the work is hard. requiring heavy pressures for the straightening, the supporting l0 straightening rolls often lack the necessary support at those points where they should exert the heaviest pressure. l The retrospective forces, acting from the work onto the rolls, can thereby influence the form o! the straightening rolls flexion curve in a manner which, cannot be anticipated by the operator of the straightening machine. He also cannot regulate by hand the form of the flexion curve of the straightening rolls, in view oi' these counterforces, the strength and eiectof which cannot be predetermined.

One of the chief causes of mistakes, which occur particularly when ,straightening hardand thin plates, or sheets, is due to the fact that the form which the straightening rolls adopt, during the straightening operation under the influence or all the acting forces and on which are dependent to a great extent the straightening result, cannot be positively set with the known means. The present invention overcomes these dilculties.

According to the present invention, the adjusting means, which is arranged along the straightening rolls, is designed to deflect the straightening rolls toward the work, thereby permitting the sheet to conform to the deflection curvature assumed by the straightening rolls.

An object of this invention is to provide a plurality. oi adjustable supporting rollers for straightening rolls of plate straightening machines wherein at least one portion of the supporting roll has a movement relative to the rest of the roll in moving into its supporting positions.

Another object of this invention is to subject a sheet passing through the straightening rollers, oi' a plate straightening machine, to waves or corrugations of differing transverse amplitude.

These and other advantages which will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds, in which:

Figure 1 shows in elevation andpartly in section a plate straightening machine with adjustable supporting mechanism;

rolls yield by deflecting at the middle, so that the l In Germany September 19, 1928 Figure 2 is a section through the adjustable supporting mechanism on line lI-lI oi' Figure l;

and

Figure 3 shows a top plan oi the middle portion of the supporting mechanism.

The upper and lower straightening rolls b and c are journaled in the machine uprights a-a. Each of the rolls is supported by two rows of supporting rolls d and e, the upper supporting rolls d being mounted, in anyv conventional manner, in the yoke member f, so that they participate in the adjustment movements of this yoke member, whereas the journals of the lower supporting rolls e project into bearing bodies g and h, rigidly connected together in pairs by struts i to form each pair a bearing frame belonging to one row of supporting rolls. Two such rigid trames composed of a bearing body y and h and of two struts i are, after the insertion of the corresponding row of supporting rollers e, symmetrically arranged under the lower row of rolls c so that the inner bearing bodies g face each other and the outer bearing bodies h are turned away from each other. Each ofthe inner bearing bodies a is supported in a hollow sliding surface k1 of a middle part k of Athe mechanism, so that they perform a slight oscillation, i. e. slightly turn between the points of the end screws l around an axis at right angles to the center axis of the supporting rolls for the purpose of inclined adjustment of the supporting rolls e corresponding to the desired progress of the flexion curve of the straightening rolls c. The middle part 7c rests on the two inner screw spindles m capable of rotation as adjusting means in the nuts m1.

rigidly iixed on the lower machine frame n.

Owing to therigid connection between the outer bearing bodies h and the inner bearing bodies g, the former must participate -in vthe swinging movement 'of the latter around the points of the screws l. The outer bearing bodies h are, therefore, mounted with the aid of slide discs o and p on the outer screw spindles q capable of being rotated in the nuts q as a further means of adjustment. The slide disc o 'rests rigidly in a cavity in the bearing body h. In order that the disc o can participate in the swinging movements of the bearing body h, it rests against a fiat surface of the slide disc p which, in turn, rests loosely with a concave surface on the convex end lace oi' the screw spindle q.

The bearing frames g, h and i, carrying the two lower rows oi' supporting rolls e are, theretore, supported in` such a manner that the two inner bearing bodies g can be raised or lowered in relation to the outer bearing bodies h.

The degree of adjustment of the supporting rolls e depends upon the pressure to which it is necessary to subject the sheet passing between the straightening rolls b and c for straightening` the same. The lower supporting rolls e may be adjusted towards and/or away from the straightening rolls depending upon the particular locations at which pressure is required to be given the sheet for straightening the same. Such adjustment, necessary for the supporting rolls to obtain the straightening of the sheet, may be obtained in the following ways:

'Ihe ratio of gearing of the worm-gears r, rl (Figures 2 and 3) rotating the inner spindles m, when the inner spindles m and the outer spindles q have the same pitch, may differ from that of the worm-gears s, sl rotating the outer spindles q, which latter worm-gears are driven from the same hand-wheel shaft t as the worm-gears r, rl. The pitches of the inner and outer spindles m and q may also differ when the ratios of gearing of the inner and outer worm-gears r, rl ands, sl, respectively, are similar, and finally the ratios of gearing between the inner and outer-worm gears r, rl and s, sl, as also the pitches of the inner and outer spindles m and q, may differ. The ratio of gearing of the worm-gears or the pitches of the spindles must, however, always be chosen so that, according to whether the inner or outer sections of the plate have to be straightened, the

middle portion of the lower straightening rolls c are particularly strongly deflected toward the work, or so that the work can press the straightening rolls c downwardly on the inner side but not on the outer side, i. e. the two lower rows of supporting rolls e must be capable of being adjusted, by the rotating of the shaft t, in the one instance, from a horizontal position to a vertically raised position and, in the other instance, to a vertically lowered position so that one end of said supporting rolls has a relative movement with respect to the other in moving into its supporting position.

These adjustments of the rows of supporting rolls e can, for example, be attained by providing the inner spindles m with a larger pitch than the outer spindles q when their ratio of gearing is similar. By turning the hand-wheel u from its Zero position in which the rows of supporting rolls e are horizontal, in the one direction, the inner bearing bodies g will be raised more than the outer bearing bodies h, causing the two rows of supporting rolls e to assume a particular position for producing the desired straightening of the sheet. By turning the hand-wheel u once more from the zero position, but in this instance in the opposite direction, the inner bearing bodies y will descend more than the outer bearing bodies h, causing the two rows of supporting rolls e to assume a different position.

The pitches of the spindles m and q should be preferably selected so that the adjustment of the rows of supporting rollers e would, so far as possible, result in having the straightening rolls assume the necessary position for straightening the sheet passing therebetween.

By means of such a supporting mechanism, it is possible to a great extent to positively adjust the shape of the deflecting curve of the straightening rolls, to obtain quickly the necessary straightening of the work and thereby a good straightening result.

The spindles m and q are detachably coupled individually with the worm-wheels r and s. for the purpose of uniformly adjusting the supporting rolls e on the unloaded straightening rolls c when setting up the machine or inspecting same after replacing or wear of certain elements of the machine. This coupling is effected by means lof a conical surface v on each spindle m and q and of a coupling ring w, secured to the wormwheels r and s and drawn into a groove y therein by means of set-screws whereby the hollow conical surface of the coupling-ring w ls pressed against the conical surface v of the spindles m and q. After releasing the coupling, the corresponding threaded spindle m or q, respectively, may be turned by means of a Spanner in the nut ql and thus individually vertically adjusted.

Instead of the worm-gears r, rl and s, sl and spindles m and q, other similarly acting adjusting means, such as wedges, cams or the like, may be used. f

Moreover, it is not necessary to employ supporting rollers e for supporting the straightening rolls c. The supporting of the rolls c may be effected by a number of straightening roll journalbearings distributed along the length of each straightening roll c and arranged, according to the present invention, to perform different lengths of travel when passing into the supporting position. Such journal bearings arranged along the straightening rolls c can be brought into supporting position by means of a common hand-Wheel shaft. so that all the straightening rolls c may be adjusted to the deflection curve caused by the middle load whereby the shape of this curve is positively determined during the straightening process.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood thatI do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the inven- I claim:

1. A roller leveler including a plurality ,oi

straightening rolls, suporting means for said straightening rolls comprising a plurality of supporting rollers shorter than said straightening rolls and arranged along said straightening rolls, means adapted to adjust said supporting rollers vertically to :flex said straightening rolls in the curvature necessary to straighten a sheet passed between said straightening rolls, said adjusting means including mechanism to positively produce and control movement of theends of individual supporting rollers vertically through unequal lengths of travel in passing into their supporting position to maintain said straightening rolls to the desired deflection curve required for straightening the work.

2. A sheet and plate straightening machine comprising a' plurality of straightening rolls, supporting means for said straightening rolls comprising a plurality of relatively short supporting rollers arrangedl along said straightenving rolls to ilex saidl straightening rolls to the curvature necessary to straighten a sheet passed between said straightening rolls, said supporting rollers being coincident to each other across the transverse line of travel of the material to be straightened and means for moving the ends of said supporting rollers vertically, said means including mechanism for positively producing and controlling dierential movement of the ends o! individual supporting rollers to bring said straightening rolls to the desired deiiection curve necessary for straightening the work and to maintain said curvature.

3. A sheet and plate straightening machinel comprising a plurality oi straightening rolls, supporting means for said straightening rolls comprising a plurality of supporting .rollers of a.` length less than the length oi' said straightening rolls and arranged along said straightenlng rolls, and means for moving said supporting rollers vertically to maintain said straightening rolls deected to the curvature necessary ior straightening the work, said means including mechanism for positively producing and controlling the simultaneous movement ofthe adjacent ends -of said supporting rollers with respect to the other ends of said supporting rollers in moving into their supporting position.

4. A sheet and plate straightening machine comprising a plurality of st ll'htening supportingV means for said straightening rolls comprising a plurality of relatively short supporting rollers arranged along the working area. of each of said straightening'rolls to flex said straightening rolls to the curvature necessary to vstraighten a sheet passed between said straightening rollsl said supporting rollers being coincident to each other across the transverse line of travel of the material t0 be straightened Amid controlled means for adjusting said supporting rollers vertically, said controlled means including a shaft, means for rotating said shaft and mechanism conecting said shaft to said supporting rollers `for positively moving one end of said supportingrollers a greater distance than the other end of said supporting rollers.

.FRITZ UNGERER. 

